Local democracy at work... if you can find it

Recently I received at home a leaflet entitled Your Town Needs You. This was an exhortation to support a proposal by Chesterfield Borough Council to extend the conservation area.

To find the details on the council’s website, it was necessary to drill down through no fewer than five levels of enquiry, which I could never have achieved without guidance. I think it probable that anyone casually interested would have given up a lot earlier than I.

The report, when found, is voluminous and not easy to assimilate.

We can take it as read that the Civic Society will vote in support. I think it unlikely many people will take the trouble to oppose it.

I foresee a report to the council stating 95 per cent support the proposal (my guess). The Council will, of course, accept the report. The result; the town will be saddled with the ugly, derelict and useless old school building and prevented from having a new state of the art and well needed doctors’ surgery.